Determine if the deceased is owed additional benefits

Surviving family members of the deceased may be entitled to additional money depending on the circumstances of the deceased and the death itself.

Read More For a full list of possible benefits to investigate, read the "Review benefits and other compensation" Chapter of the Guide.

This chapter describes at length the following types of benefits available:

• Social security
• Life insurance
• Veterans benefits
• COVID-19 & natural disaster benefits

Additional benefits include, but aren't limited to:

• Accidental benefits - if the deceased had an accidental death benefit as part of the life insurance policy, then benefits may be available if the death was deemed an accident
• Workers’ compensation - if the deceased had been receiving workers’ compensation, or if the death was due to a work-related injury or illness, benefits may be available. Check with the deceased’s previous employer for more information
• State disability benefits - if the state where the deceased lived was providing disability benefits, contact the state agency responsible for those benefits
• Civil service benefits - if the deceased was an employee of a federal government agency, contact the agency they worked for to determine if benefits are available
• Unions - if the deceased was part of a union, contact the union to see if the deceased was entitled to any death benefits
• Health insurance - some health insurance policies may reimburse funeral expenses. Contact the health insurance administrator to determine if reimbursement is available
• Public assistance - contact a county or state social services agency for more information